Bend, OR

If you go approximately 45 miles South from Bend on Hwy 97 you will end up in Crescent, take a right onto the Crescent cutoff and follow 12 miles to the stop sign which is Hwy 58, take another right and 9 miles up you will come into the tiny town of Crescent Lake. The town itself consists of a few small stores, places to eat, motels, gas, and the one of the general meeting places called Manley’s.

There is this great looking log cabin in LaPine which is the home to one of the three local American Legions. The Legion in LaPine is Post 45. The other two Legions are located in Prineville and Redmond. Most people, when they think of The American Legion, think of it as a members only club that is full of veterans. In one case they would be right, it is full of veterans.

South Twin is home to numerous summer visitors who flock here to picnic (yes, even in the winter), rent boats, swim, fish, hike, camp, run rampant, spend money at the store or whatever. This is a great place for kids as there are many shallow spots all the way around the lake. It is one of Central Oregon’s hot spots for lakes.

Camping with a twist! Do you have a side of you that says you are a pirate and want to sail the seas or try and taste the salt or do you just like to talk like a pirate, and who cares if you’re horrible at it? Or do you have the more mystical, magical, mysterious, free spirit, dance-in-the-moonlight, spellbinding side that says you are a gypsy?

Just what is the High Desert in which we live? People might confuse the term desert with the arid and hot descriptions of unending sand, maybe a few cactus and little wildlife. Well we do have our arid moments, our cacti are in the form a many different varieties of trees, flora and fauna and animals, we have our share and they are abundant. The question I might ask at this point, “Is where would one go to view it all at once?” The High Desert Museum of course!

Now it’s called the Old Mill District, where when I was growing up it was nothing but the mill. An old falling down, dilapidated mill, no longer in use, that us kids used to go in and play around. The buildings have now resurfaced and have come alive in the form of a thriving, community like, part subdivision, part mall.

Remember Deschutes River? Well Tumalo Falls’ beauty flows into that river. This 90’ majestic waterfall flows from the top of the canyon to right down underneath your feet. There is no swimming because the water is too darned cold but you have so many choices here. One can follow the creek down and see the wild birds that nest among the reeds or follow the trail up to the top of the water fall and see a whole different perspective.

Ok so maybe you don’t get too excited about airports I don’t know. I love them. I love the planes, the helicopters and all that pertains to flying and being in the air but the Oakridge isn’t just an airport, it’s a playfield with a view.

Who ever heard of a parade being done in the dark? Sounds crazy because you can’t see right? Wrong! LaPine has Central Oregon’s only night time parade. This is no ordinary parade. Yes there are the traditional floats but all the floats are done with Christmas lights.